The American health care system dominates the nation’s economy and puts demands on taxpayers to a degree unequaled anywhere else on earth…
Mrs. Warren Goes to Washington: Does the Market Mistrust Big Banks?
Sen. Elizabeth Warren poses a puzzling question: Why are the majority of the nation’s big banks trading below book value?
Vetting the 34,000
When you’re making a decision that many in the military will not like, such as removing 34,000 troops from Afghanistan, it’s best to keep it closely held until it becomes fait accompli during the State of the Union address.
The Sequester and the GOP’s Wobbly ‘Stool’
In many ways the showdown underway in Washington over the budget sequester is complicated and confusing. But on one level is it clarifying: It has revealed the supremacy of the Republican Party’s economic wing over its other key factions.
“Tell everybody back home I'm sorry I let 'em down, OK?”
— Former Democratic Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. to the Chicago Sun-Times' Lynn Sweet as he left the courtroom. Jackson pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges that he conspired to misuse campaign funds. Jackson, who resigned in November after serving Illinois in the House of Representatives for 17 years, faces prison time when he is sentenced in June.
Brain Map: President Obama Proposes First Detailed Guide of Human Brain Function
Ultimately, researchers believe that by understanding the brain at a circuit level, diseases like Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia, depression and other brain disorders could be better treated and perhaps even cured.
When the Sequester Happens: TIME Explains
TIME’s Rana Foroohar explains the spending cuts that go into effect on March 1st and whether they can be averted.
74%
— Gov. Christopher Christie's record-breaking approval rating, the highest of any New Jersey governor in 17 years of Quinnipiac University surveys.
“If there’s ever a problem here, just walk out on the balcony, here, walk out, put that double barrel shotgun and just fire two blasts outside the house.”
— Vice President Joe Biden to his wife Jill on how to protect herself, according to Parents Magazine. Biden believes you should purchase shotguns instead of assault weapons for protection.
In the ArenaEconomy
Sequestered in Memphis
My head is filled to bursting with the great Hold Steady song: Subpoened in Texas, Sequestered in Memphis. It’s far more fun than the current idiotic man-made crisis over the sequester in DC. I’ve been ignoring this “crisis,” assuming that they’ll cut some sort of last minute deal, as they always do.
Morning Must Reads: February 20
In the news: Koch bros, VA governor race, Heinz ketchup, digital medical records, and Star Wars.
Yes, Rubio and Obama Mostly Agree on Immigration. No, That Doesn’t Mean Reform Is Inevitable.
How far is Rubio willing to bend to cut a deal few of his supporters want with a president most of his supporters despise?
1,000,000
— Number of jobs the sequester would cost the economy in 2013 and 2014, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.